Rhubarb tart in a crunchy almond pastry crust

Sometimes you just go on instinct. And miscalculate how long it takes to cook rhubarb – by which I mean, it takes hardly any time at all. If you don’t want it to become a delicious, jammy compote rather than hold itself together in tidy little batons that you can arrange into geometric patterns. Like Nigella.

Everything’s a learning curve, and my family did say: but Dad, does it matter if they’re not symmetrical strips, if it tastes this good? And what’s wrong with rhubarb compote anyway? In fact, once cooled, the jammy filling settled into a sliceable mixture that held itself surprisingly well. The symmetry I had wanted became less and less important as the hours went by last Saturday afternoon.

Now, as for that colour: your rhubarb may not be red at all (most is green when sold), and even though some of it can turn red or pink during cooking, it often does not happen. But there’s a trick: just add a few drops (not too many) of red food colouring, just as many confectioners do.

So my early thoughts of dumping this recipe and having another go at it down the line were shelved. And forgive me that it’s not as neat and tidy as I’d wanted it to be.

I made my own pastry, using slivered almonds, and sweetening it with xylitol rather than castor sugar. I know, bear with me… it meant that I could have some, you understand. Rather than watch dolefully while everyone else tucked in. My daughter kindly bought some sugar-free readymade custard so that I could indulge that particular fetish too. I love custard.

But don’t throw up your hands in horror at the xylitol – just use castor sugar.

On Sunday night the family WhatsApped to say the seconds of the tart had been delicious, thanks Dad. Hmmm. All gone then.

So here’s how I made it – and apparently I have to make it again.

Tony’s rhubarb tart in a crunchy almond crust

(Makes 1 tart in a standard pie dish)

Ingredients

For the almond pastry:

200g cake flour

⅓ cup xylitol or castor sugar

70g slivered almonds (unsalted)

2 pinches of salt

125g cold butter, cubed

2 Tbsp cold water

For the rhubarb filling:

500g thick rhubarb stalks

⅓ cup xylitol or sugar

Juice of ½ a ripe lime

A few drops of almond essence

A few drops of red food colouring

Water to cover the rhubarb

Method

Make the pastry first so that you can refrigerate it.

Add the flour to a bowl and pour in the xylitol or sugar.

Stir in the almonds and salt.

Cube the butter and add it.

Use your fingers to work it in until you have a crumbly mixture.

Add a tablespoon of chilled water at a time (I added 2) and work it with your hands until it is a smooth dough.

Roll the pastry into a ball and wrap in cling film. Pop it into the fridge for 40 minutes or so.

After about 40 minutes, remove it from the fridge and roll it out on a floured board. If it breaks in parts, don’t worry. Lift the whole thing into a greased (with butter) standard pie dish and add any stray bits of pastry to the corners as needed. Press down and manipulate the pastry to the edges and a little way up. Prick the base all over with a fork. Put the dish in the fridge while you make the rhubarb compote.

Trim the ends off the rhubarb and slice into strips.

Add them to a smallish heavy pot and cover with cold water.

Add the xylitol or sugar, the almond essence and the lime juice. Add a few drops of red food colouring but don’t get carried away.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, check that the batons of rhubarb are intact and let it simmer for not more than 3 minutes more. This is me trying to help you end up with the neat batons of rhubarb that I did not manage. Because I let it cook for more than 10 minutes. But it’s not the end of the world if the rhubarb dissolves, as the result is too delicious for any need to be unduly bothered about symmetry. But bully for you if yours looks more like Nigella’s.

Turn off the heat and let it cool completely.

Once cooled, take the pastry dish out of the fridge and spoon in the rhubarb filling.

Preheat an oven to 180°C.

Bake for up to 20 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry turn a little golden.

Serve with custard. DM

Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award.

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.